A power transmission and distribution network should be periodically inspected for existing or impending damage which may be caused by for instance storms, landslides, snow, or falling trees. Nowadays, these tasks can be routinely performed manually by on-site repair teams. Increasingly, utilities also rely on specialized companies such as Cyberhawk, Microdrones, Multirotor by service-drone, Aerial Photography Specialists, that perform inspection tasks using drones. However, the drones can be operated and navigated manually, and images produced by on-board video cameras can be inspected by humans. This makes the inspection of the electrical equipment in the power networks time- and cost-consuming.
The electrical utilities and other network operators normally have detailed knowledge of their installed equipment. In particular, they know where power lines, transmission towers/poles, transformers and other equipment is located. They also know the type, and therefore the geometry, of each piece of equipment. This information, e.g., exact location including orientation and the 3D model of each piece of equipment can be collected in a network description database maintained by the utility.